


face the setting sun

by ottermo



Series: As Prompted [35]
Category: Humans (TV)
Genre: F/F, Future Fic, post-show
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-19
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2019-02-04 06:37:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12765222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ottermo/pseuds/ottermo
Summary: Astrid looks different now, from when they first met.





	face the setting sun

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Week 1, Day 7 of the Humans 4-Week Challenge. The prompt was "Looking Forward".

 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Astrid says, frowning. “Won’t it hurt?”

Niska squeezes Astrid’s hand. “I can turn my pain off during the procedure.”

“You hate doing that.”

“I hate doing it for emotional pain,” Niska amends. “Because _you_ can’t. So I don’t. But you can take painkillers when it’s physical, so I can kill mine too.”

Astrid squeezes back. “All right. Maybe I’ll allow it, then.”

“Generous of you,” says Niska, with a smile. “I don’t think it will take very long. Most of them won’t need to be replaced, just heated and reshaped a little.”

“It seems a lot of trouble to go to,” Astrid says, for probably the hundredth time. “The hair was one thing, but…”

“This is just another,” Niska finishes. “I want to do this. It’s the closest thing we have.”

Astrid chuckles, despite her concern. “I love that you care so much about it.”

Niska strokes Astrid’s cheek. “It’s _you_ I care about.”

She leans up to kiss the place her fingers had been. “Go. I’ll come and find you when it’s done. No anaesthetic wear-off time for me.”

Astrid takes one last look, and obeys.

Later, her head lolling sleepily against the waiting-room chair, she’s brought to attention by the sound of Niska’s voice. “Astrid. Wake up.”

Astrid looks up, takes it all in. Her breath hitches, and she stands up slowly. “Mein Gott,” she says, her hands drifting up but pausing inches from Niska’s face. “Can I…?”

“Go ahead.”

Gently Astrid touches Niska’s cheeks, feels the lines there, delicate wrinkles that match the marks age has put on her own. The forty years they’ve spent together have been blissful, but time wears flesh down, however happy the hours. But from today, they can finally grow old together. Both looking the part.

“They did my hands, too,” says Niska, letting her feel the crinkles of her fingertips as she rests a hand on Astrid’s neck. “Does it feel…”

“Different,” Astrid says, smiling through the tears that have sprung to her eyes. “Yes.”

“I was going to say real.”

“Of course. One hundred percent.” Astrid draws closer to her, whispers the rest. “You’ve never been anything else.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this fic is from 'Grow Old With Me' by John Lennon, though I always thought it was by Glen Campbell, and anyway it works out it's adapted from a Robert Browning poem, so, that was a journey. (Dead Old White Guys, though, so it's a Nistrid reference in itself. Go figure.)


End file.
